by Vance Huxley
Halfway up the lane Kelis and Abel ended up holding hands, while Rob grinned at them. He turned away and covered his eyes at Kelis’s gate, because tonight there wouldn’t be any Tavern so Abel wouldn’t be seeing her. The pair looked at each other for a moment, until Kelis smiled and whispered, “Is the enchantment still working?"
“Yes.” Abel tipped his head up, Kelis bent hers and that lovely warm feeling flooded through the mark. “Did you feel that? The mark?” Abel had to ask before Ferryl said something.
“Yes, but Ferryl said no intent, so I think it might just be a sort of bonus.” They were stood very close, talking quietly so Rob didn’t hear, so Abel tried for another bonus. Kelis giggled afterwards. “I’d better go in. I’m sure the net curtain twitched.”
“Will your mum mind?”
“I doubt it. Not out here in broad daylight. If you start banging on windows at night, or dozens of boys troop in and out of my room, she’ll probably object.” Kelis raised her voice. “We’d better let Rob get home, or he’ll be growing roots like a dryad.”
“As long as you bring me plenty of honey, it’s a viable career choice. No homework for starters.” Rob laughed at them and set off home, and Abel caught up.
“Me and Kelis. Are you okay with it?”
“Real girlfriend and boyfriend stuff? Crikey. Though I always thought you’d be a sucker for a pretty face.” Rob shook his head. “I’m heartbroken and eaten up with jealousy of course.”
“I’ll buy you a teddy bear to cuddle.”
“I’ll steal one of Melanie’s, she’s got dozens.” Rob raised a hand in goodbye and headed to his own house.
“Very strange. I never have been able to understand human emotions, even when in human bodies. He would have liked to kiss Kelis, but is happy that you did. Very strange.”
“Like you say, you don’t understand.” Not that Abel did either.
* * *
Kelis understood, or had made up her mind the next morning. When Rob and Abel collected her from home, she put out her hand to Abel once they were through the gate. She held hands until the bus arrived at school, and under the table at break and lunch, and on the way home. The teachers came down hard on anything more than hand holding at lunchtime in the school itself. Abel still worried a little bit, but Kelis didn’t and at her gate she told Ferryl to cover her eyes and put her arms round him. After another goodnight kiss, Abel stopped worrying. Somehow, after a few days of teasing from Rob and at school, everyone moved on.
Rob’s teasing eased off because he’d got a real problem at home. Both his sisters were interested in the game, and had started asking about coming to Tavern meetings. He’d persuaded them they had to learn the rules first. That meant Rob sitting with them playing the game with dice, which definitely ironed out a few small glitches. Luckily both of them had other interests, and Rob hadn’t mentioned leaf floating. He really couldn’t handle that, not yet, and hoped they’d both get bored.
The Taverners wouldn’t be bored. Despite dealing with the sorceress, an increasing number of magical creatures were invading the village. Not so many of the thornies or anything smaller, because the gradually increasing number of stakes bearing hexes kept those out. The trespassers were hoplins in pairs, globhoblins, and even the occasional skurrit. Other creatures were still rooting in the bins, leaving litter in the middle of the village, but even Ferryl couldn’t catch sight of the culprits.
Her guardians, who now included almost every cat in the village, weren’t very specific in their reporting. There were intruders, and sometimes a cat could chase them off or catch them. Other times the cat’s food had been taken, or mice were killed. That annoyed the cats more than anything else so Ferryl couldn’t get them to concentrate on what else happened.
Henry had found ways to be a nuisance again. He still wouldn’t challenge any of the Taverners, but he’d seen them driving in stakes. He couldn’t possibly understand the reason for them, but still pulled a few up here and there. As a result gaps were made and a few of the larger magical grazers made it through as far as the Village Green. A shower of twigs and lashing branches soon drove them off when one tried to browse on a dryad’s tree!
At school Henry started a campaign of little niggling annoyances. He had realised none of the three were going to use waggy finger in public. A steady stream of small paper darts, bits of gravel, small pebbles, erasers and the occasional pencil assaulted Kelis, Rob and Abel. In addition, they soon learned that every time the car taking Henry to or from school passed them, he’d throw something. All three became adept at using small wind glyphs to deflect the missiles without disturbing other students or books and papers. Ferryl claimed the practice made them more efficient magic users, but still wanted to burn Henry’s arm off at the elbow.
The rest of the seraphims, and all the fifteen and seventeen-year-old students including betas and apprentices, were too busy for much teasing. The teachers had started on the run-in to the exams for all of Abel’s year, cramming in extra work and homework to make sure everyone would end up with decent grades. There wasn’t much discussion about the Tavern despite an undercurrent of excitement as first one, then another, made their leaf flutter. At weekends the phone calls flew back and forth trying to make plans for half-term, a real meeting, with everyone who had managed magic so far.
Meanwhile, Una really did want a sword once her leaf fluttered and she saw the magical world. Where she lived wasn’t near a church, or any other hexes, and she almost had to wade through magical creatures. Kelis more or less took over her dad’s tools in the garage to produce a steady stream of carved wooden Tavern hexes. With Ferryl supervising all three became adept at activating the wooden squares inscribed with the shield and flower, before distributing them among the trainees. Warren found that his home area wasn’t so bad with a distinct line across his road, halfway along, that the creatures were reluctant to cross. Investigation showed that the line circled a church, just as Vicar Creepio Mysterio said.
Petra practiced as much as possible, and now her leaf stayed above her hand even if it danced frantically. She kept smirking and saying she would be finding a signature move once she’d got it right. Several of the others claimed progress, but Ferryl couldn’t judge very well because they only met at school. Some people already wanted to know what came next, when could they throw other glyphs? The original Taverners were really pleased they hadn’t followed Ferryl’s suggestion and put real glyphs in the game.
Three weeks into the school term Kelis met Abel and Rob at her gate with a huge smile and a kiss that left Abel breathless, or more than usual. “Mum says we can have a meeting here! All the Tavern, anyone who wants to come. She’ll put on nibbles, either Saturday or Sunday.”
“Everyone?” Rob tried to calculate how many belonged now, because the original betas had now confessed to recruiting a few more pupils, friends and siblings. “Bloo.. curses, Samantha and Melanie will want to come! Well Melanie at least. Will your mum want to come, Abel?” Abel’s mum had finally got over her embarrassment and admitted seeing creatures, to Rob and Kelis at least. She couldn’t really avoid explaining the saucers of milk and sugar on the sideboard.
“No, she doesn’t know about magic. I’ve considered a Tavern mark for her, but if Mum’s already seeing creatures?” Abel shrugged.
“She will take to magic very easily, but I am still not sure if it will be good for her. Adults really do go crazy if they start as adults, though in a way Chris has always been aware.”
Abel had no intention of trying anything Ferryl couldn’t be sure about, not on his mum. “It’s not worth risking. We’ll stick to everyone who can float a leaf or at least flutter it. We can have a proper training session, and sort out warding marks for those who have decided on one.” Abel wondered how many that would be, six he thought or possibly seven if Sarah, another town beta, fluttered her leaf by then. “Saturday, because there’s no bus on Sunday. That’s if the ones in the villages can get to town and then out here.�
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“In costume?” Rob hesitated. “No, not to travel but they can all bring them. Then we’ll decide.”
“They can all meet me properly, and the willows by the bridge. Those three are particularly friendly and only need a few sweets to encourage them.” Ferryl really liked that idea. Nobody had met her at school because they couldn’t guarantee privacy.
“If Henry decides to give us grief we can all wave fingers, nine or ten of us.” Rob smiled happily. “Or if we catch him pulling up stakes, POW, one grease spot.” He still wanted some payback for the beating, but Henry kept his aggravation at a distance.
* * *
At school Ferryl connected to the magic users one at a time to ask, and Abel soon discovered a problem. As soon as he could get Kelis and Rob together for a quick private word, he told them. Rob almost exploded. “More? Ones we don’t know? Who? How many?”
“Calm down and hush. I’m not sure yet. Una looked downright guilty and said some others, because she couldn’t stand the thought of them eating dinner that had been trampled.” Abel glanced round. “Warren’s enrolled his older brother, he’s nineteen and has some news about other places in town. It’s all quick remarks, because Ferryl’s connection is only one-way.”
“They would not like me listening to thoughts. The wards would hurt us both. I would only get past them because of my link to Abel.”
“We invite anyone and everyone who has activated magic, and count up at Mum’s. I’ll apologise to her afterwards.” Kelis squeezed Abel’s hand. “She’s still grateful for you two looking after me, and the ward. She uses it to get to sleep, to stop her nightmares.”
“It would help if we have some sort of number first. Just ask everyone that, how many have fluttered a leaf, and if any drivers can help with transport?” Abel shrugged. “Then Kelis can at least give her mum a vague idea.”
“I will pass the message so they can just give you a number without names or explaining.”
By hometime, the three of them had another problem, though they had to wait until the bus dropped them off in Brinsford to talk properly. “Sarah took the last five wooden hexes.” Kelis pulled a face. “We’ll have to make more.”
“She’s done it, the leaf, and can see creatures?”
“Yes, and doesn’t need the intro from you and Ferryl.” Kelis nudged Abel. “Someone told her and she’ll leave the spooky voice in her head until the weekend, please. Though she is terrified because there’s others out there, magic users.”
“Witches or sorcerers?” Ferryl sounded really wary. “We must find out, and where their territories are.”
“Just a man in the park feeding pigeons. Sarah sees him on her way home most days, but last night Sarah could see creatures.” Kelis stifled a giggle. “He isn’t just feeding pigeons, he’s talking to what sounds like a dryad from the description and throwing something to it. Though Sarah says the other creatures weren’t avoiding him. He kept swatting them off.”
“We’ll get her warded at the weekend, but she is to keep well clear until then. After that she can approach him, carefully. Perhaps another of the town Tavern can watch over her?”
“That’s another thing, Justin and his sister Rachel have Rachel’s Tavern in their front room at home, but Warren has his own as well. It’s sort of exploded. At the beginning the betas roped in extra help because after all, The Tavern is only a game. Now it isn’t, and oops doesn’t quite cover it.” Rob shrugged, and looked up at the big iron gates. “I’ll leave you two here so I don’t have to suffer all the embarrassing soppy stuff.”
“Never mind, just think how many might turn up in fur.”
Rob stuck his tongue out at Kelis and set off home singing, “Just wanna be your Teddy Bear” in a very bad imitation of Elvis.
“Embarrassing soppy stuff?”
“Like this? Close your eyes, Ferryl.” Kelis bent her head.
“Oh, that stuff. We’ll get a lot of teasing this weekend, unless you want to stop while the rest are here?” Abel would have crossed his fingers, but his hands were holding Kelis’s.
“No, they sort of know anyway.” Kelis smirked. “I can show the girls the power of glyphs. Is it still working?”
“Oh yes, though you could check again?” On the way home Abel thought about that second check, and tried to work out if the ‘magic’ might be getting stronger. He didn’t want to ask Ferryl because she’d advise breaking the link to find out.
* * *
Kelis’s mum didn’t seem fazed by having seventeen young people in her house on Saturday, just happy that Kelis seemed to be making friends this time. Kelis explained to her mum she didn’t usually make friends because in a couple of years Dad would up sticks and move. The reaction came as a shock, as Kelis told Abel and Rob at the Tavern meeting that night.
“Mum’s going to think about that, me making a lot of friends. She confessed to thinking about selling up because Dad is already fighting the divorce settlement so money might get tight. It’s a big house to maintain but now she’ll consider either keeping it, or selling and buying a smaller one in Brinsford.” Kelis sighed. “She’s really impressed by how many people talk to her in the village.”
“So my home is safe?”
“You have a home with me anywhere I live, Ferryl.” Abel smiled. “Even after you move out of my arm. Life wouldn’t be the same without you nagging now and then.”
“I’ll persuade Mum to donate a settee.” Rob frowned. “You don’t need a settee.”
“If we have a new home, you can have a home there.” Kelis jabbed Rob in the ribs. “You just want Ferryl because she’s furry.”
“Is it a crime?” Rob laughed, “Yes, probably. Hey, Mum, meet our new lodger. She’s just like any other girl under the fur.”
“Or the bark.” Abel stopped teasing at a thought. “We’d better get in some sweets for the willows.”
“We’ll take some honey. My trees are being snooty so I can spare a jar and the willows have never had any.” Kelis’s smirk died away. “I should ease off on my sudden craving for the stuff if money is a problem.”
* * *
The first Taverners arrived at ten o’clock on Saturday, and by eleven Kelis’s mum had let them spread into the dining room for the overflow. The food had been put out there, stacks of packets of snacks, bowls of nuts and crisps, and plates of little sandwiches, well beyond the usual definition of nibbles. When the last recruit puttered up the drive on an old scooter, twenty-three people including Abel, Kelis and Rob were sat or standing around the big table.
Kelis looked at the crowd, shocked into almost a whisper. “Where did the six extras come from? Can Ferryl talk to everyone at once?”
“Yes, but not until they are ready to hear voices.”
“I’m a bag of nerves. I don’t know half these people!” Kelis took hold of Abel’s hand, let go at a raised eyebrow from Una, then stuck out her tongue and took his hand again.
Able tried to smile. “Nor me, so we’d better get introductions over first. It’s a good job we nicked all the pads and pens from the study.”
“Redistributed. Everyone’s name, who told them about magic, and what they’ve managed so far.” Kelis looked around the sea of faces. “It’ll take ages. I’ll ask Mum for the cushions off the settees because we won’t have enough chairs, even using the dining room.”
“Who is in charge? Who runs the Tavern? Sorry, I’m Eric, Warren’s brother. I started off helping him beta a game, and suddenly I’m overrun with magical nasties.” The tall, dark-haired youth with glasses shrugged. “Or I’m not, because Warren drew this mark on me, a hex, and they scurry away. The thing is, I haven’t really seen any organisation so far.”
“On a person it’s a ward to protect you, on an object or building a protective glyph or symbol is called a hex. I’m Abel, this is Rob, and this is Kelis, and we aren’t organised. The game is our idea, and was only a game. Then I found out about magic.”
“Someone should write this down, for a
ny new recruits.” The girl with short cropped blonde hair looked alarmed. “I’m Shannon. Don’t ask me to write, and I’m hopeless at typing.”
“Tape it, then we’ll sort typists or data entry out later.” Abel didn’t even see who that was, but everyone seemed to agree.
Sarah put up her hand, as if in class. “Can we hear about magic first, because that’s why we’re here.”
“All right. Here we go. The two local bullies decided to have a go at me…..”
* * *
After most of the room finished telling Abel what a fool he was, and how lucky he’d been, he introduced Ferryl Shayde by rolling up his sleeve. That shut them all up, then produced a storm of questions that Ferryl answered, eventually. Kelis and Rob roped in a few helpers to collect cushions and dish out drinks from the library fridge. Meanwhile Abel acted as a Ferryl spooky-phone exchange. They had all drawn the wind symbol on their palms, but promised to stop doing so when Ferryl explained they’d need the skin clear to use different glyphs in time. According to Ferryl, drawing an imaginary glyph with a finger would work now they’d all mastered directing their magic.
As the guests finished filling out their names and details on a lined pad, each one went through to see the actual Tavern and the large wooden sign. About a third had no ward on their skins, just a wooden hex in their pockets to keep creatures away. Ferryl explained that an indelible drawing on skin gave better protection against binding.
That led to a discussion about the differences between Tavern and Church protection. Five people with drawn wards had been confirmed at church and Ferryl announced their God’s mark still remained as strong as ever. All five still prayed, and were relieved that the magic made no difference so it wasn’t inherently evil. That puzzled the cropped blonde, Shannon, roped in as a beta by Una despite her going to a different school, a church school. “Can I be religious and a sorceress?”
“That’s what a Paladin is, I think? Saint Georgeous is definitely a holy sorceress.” Kelis turned to Abel. “Ferryl?”